Track Talk: Story Lines from Road America

June 29th, 2017

It may be an off weekend, but we have plenty of stories from Road America in this week’s edition of #TrackTalk.

Scott Dixon wins: After weeks of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Scott Dixon finally broke through at Road America. The point’s leader raced his way ahead Team Penske’s 4-car armada that dominated qualifying and every practice session. It’s Scott Dixon’s first win of 2017, and also Chip Ganassi Racing’s first IndyCar victory of the season.

And speaking of Scott Dixon: Dixon sits 4th among all-time Indy car winners buy here’s a little known fact- he’s won at almost every track on the current IndyCar calendar. The only races Dixon is yet to conquer? St. Petersburg, Iowa, Gateway, the Indy Grand Prix, and Pocono.

A season of many winners: 10 races into the season, and we’ve had 8 different winners. If you look at the top-10 in points all but Tony Kanaan, Alexander Rossi, and Helio Castroneves have won races.

And speaking of Helio Castroneves: I realize that myself- and many others in the IndyCar media, have called Dixon the unluckiest driver this season, but what does Castroneves have to do to break his losing streak? His last win came at Detroit in 2014, yet he’s racked up13 podiums since. He was our pole sitter at Road America, but came up short to Dixon and teammate Josef Newgarden. He’s currently 3rd in points and is coming up on a string of races that he’s either won or finished on the podium.

Who will finish best of the best at Team Penske? Don’t count Team Penske out of the championship by any means, but in years past there’s only ever been 1 or 2 of its drivers in contention for the top spot. Not so this year as all 4 drivers are favorites. It might look like they’re all chasing Dixon for the championship, but make not mistake- Will Power and Newgarden have to race their way past their teammates if they’re going to remain in the hunt. Could this help or hinder the team? Iowa and Toronto are next- both races that Newgarden has mastered while racing for smaller teams. Could July be the month where he vaults ahead of his teammates in the points?

Some Indy car history on Instagram: Newman-Haas Racing- the former IndyCar team owned the late Carl Haas and the late Paul Newman has an Instagram account, and it’s a glorious visual trip down memory lane. If you’ve ever wanted a quick history lesson on their time competing in CART, Champ Car, and IndyCar, then this account is a must-follow. Updated regularly, it’s a real treat for historians and long-time fans.